Since before Finn was born, I’ve been interested in recipes that I can make for him as he grows and is better able to eat solid foods. Now that he’s 10 months old and rapidly approaching the picky toddler years, I’m enjoying his current very UN-particular eating habits! This kid eats anything. And then smears it all over himself and the table. And throws things on the floor. And mostly I don’t mind! I’m just happy to watch him discover and taste new foods, pretty much every day.

What follows is a recipe that came from a cookbook specifically designed for growing babies and their parents too (The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook). These chickpea patties, or as I call them, Baby Falafel, are great for both little ones and adults alike. They’re palm-sized, great for a healthy snack or lunch on the go, and have been Finn-approved (but to be completely honest here, most foods are Finn-approved).

Better yet, they’re freezer-friendly, a bonus for tired parents. Instructions on how to prepare these for immediate consumption or for the freezer are both found below.

Palm-sized chickpea patties great for babies and parents for snacks or lunch!

Author: Molly Robson

Recipe type: Snack/Lunch

Serves: 2 adults and 1 baby

Ingredients

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small onion, peeled and chopped in quarters

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

juice of ½ lemon

handful fresh parsley

pinch of ground black pepper

2-3 tbsp plain flour (spelt or other non-wheat flour are fine here)

Instructions

Place all ingredients except the flour in a food processor and blitz until thoroughly incorporated. Some chunks are okay - this doesn't need to be completely smooth.

Coat your hands with flour (and sprinkle some flour on a plate) and start scooping out the mixture, one handful at a time, to make small patties, about the size of your child's palm (about half the size of yours probably?). Place the patties on the floury plate until you have about 12-14.

Heat some sunflower or canola oil in a frying pan and cook the patties for a few minutes on each side, until slightly golden.

Enjoy right away!

Or, if FREEZING: allow the cooked patties to cool, then wrap in parchment or wax paper and place in a large ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave or pan-fry until warmed through.

Since having Finn in July, I’ve gotten to know many other new mamas in the past year. And all of a sudden, those babies are turning ONE! It’s hard to believe how quickly a first year goes by (and yet, how very slow it feels in the moment). I’m attending my first FIRST birthday party this weekend and decided to bring along these delectable cookies in celebration of my dear friend’s baby girl. The recipe comes from the LEON Baking & Desserts cookbook, one of my personal faves from England, along with the other Leon cookbooks available. All are terrific.

These cookies are gluten-free, egg-free, and contain no processed sugars. Plenty of butter though, which gives them the perfect gooey cookie middle.

I’m completely guilty of being nosy when it comes to food – I love checking out people’s shopping carts full of groceries, or what lies inside the fridge or freezer of a friend’s house. (I’m nosy but not judgmental, I promise! It’s a fascination…)

Anyway, there must be other weird people out there like me so I thought you might like to see what’s going on in our fridge and freezer this week. The contents don’t change much week to week, especially now – but I imagine as Finn grows bigger and hungrier for real food, we’ll have to stock all his favorites! (His faves right now: blueberries, strawberries, avocado, eggs, sweet potato, mac & cheese, hummus, Happy Puffs, teething crackers)

We’re back in Boston after a wonderful warm week away in Florida. Seriously, that trip couldn’t have come at a better time. This winter has been brutal, particularly since Finn and I are both getting major cabin fever! But spring is just around the corner, so I’m trying to think about my favorite foods of the colder months and look on the (snowy) bright side. Something I haven’t made all winter: BAKED POTATO. Why not? I guess when I think about making potatoes, I usually jump to sweet potatoes and roast them up with some fish. I also associate baked potatoes with long cooking times (which is true – they take about an hour in the oven) but it’s not like it’s a labor-intensive hour. You poke a few holes in them, throw them in the oven, and leave them alone. My son can’t be left alone to play longer than 10 minutes, so you might say a baked potato is easier than a 7-month-old. But that would be a pretty weak analogy.

But anyway.

It’s pretty easy to make a meal out of a baked potato. In England, “jacket potatoes” are a familiar vehicle for all manner of toppings that make a tasty and filling lunch. It’s not just sour cream and chives over there. Baked beans and cheese, for example. Or tuna and cottage cheese (woof).

Last night, as Phil and I embraced the fact that winter isn’t over, we settled in for a really satisfying and comforting dinner: baked potatoes with tomato sauce, cheese, and spinach, topped with a fried egg. Sounds simple? That’s because it is. And I’m totally having it again for dinner before the warm weather sets in (so hopefully not more than once…?)

The following recipe is loosely based on an article from the always fabulous, always miniature, Everyday Food magazine.

Fried Egg Baked Potato

by The Particular Kitchen

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients (serves 2)

2 baking potatoes

2 tbsp butter or Earth Balance spread

4 tbsp tomato sauce (we used a simple jarred pizza sauce that we had in the fridge already)

handful of organic baby spinach leaves

1/3 cup grated manchego cheese

2 organic eggs, gently fried

ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F. Poke the potatoes a couple of times each with a sharp knife and rub the skins with olive oil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for about an hour, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork.

Everything else can be prepared when the potatoes are about 5 minutes from being done.

Once cooked, place the potatoes on 2 plates and slice open down the middle. Let the butter melt inside before sprinkling on the cheese, spooning on some sauce, stuffing in the spinach, and topping with the fried egg and some grated black pepper.

Cooking when you’ve just had a baby sometimes feels like the very last thing you want to think about. And here I am, with a 7-month-old baby, and still struggling to get dinner on the table most nights! So Phil and I stick with the dinners we feel comfortable making, week in and week out. Eventually there will be room for creativity in the kitchen once again. But for right now, we’ve found what works for us. It’s funny, but the idea of dishes you make over and over again, recipes you know by heart, is something I always envisioned I’d do when I became a Mom. It might be a far cry from the way I cooked before, but hey – most things change when you have a kid!

One such dinner we’ve got memorized is a delicious Peanut Sesame Noodle Salad that is slightly adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Enchanted Broccoli Forest. We have probably made this for dinner once a week for the past 4 months. It’s that good. And that EASY.

And its ease is precisely why it’s the perfect dinner for new parents. It only requires a few ingredients, takes about 15-20 minutes to make, and gives you plenty for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day (which we always enjoy).

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Disclaimer

I am a Certified Nutrition Consultant working with a holistic approach. I am not a doctor, registered dietitian, or other medical professional. I don't diagnose or treat disease and I don't prescribe. Rather I work with clients to build health through a whole foods diet, an active lifestyle, and relaxation techniques. The opinions and suggestions expressed on this website are purely my own and are offered as a general guide for good health and happiness.